Wonder Woman: Loose Ends
by shanejayell
Summary: After her captivity Veronica Cale has some loose ends to tie up. Femslash.


Disclaimer: I own none of these DC Comics characters, I'm just borrowing them for awhile. This is my take on events in the Wonder Woman series by Greg Rucka, and are hopefully in the spirit of the original comics. This is set sometime after the Four Horsemen mini-series...

Wonder Woman: Loose Ends.

Veronica Cale paused as the blonde haired woman reached up to toy with the string of false pears she still wore, a last remnant of her mother. She had worked hard, developed her mind far beyond most and in the end triumphed, becoming a very wealthy and powerful woman.

'And look at me now,' Veronica thought wryly.

Along with many other geniuses she had been abducted to a hidden island, eventually becoming involved with the creation of super-weapons that devastated both Khandaq and Bialya. It was because of those actions that Veronica took over the 'science squad' as some called them, and in the end successfully contained the four entities they had unleashed. It was that, along with the lack of extradition treaties from their independent island, that kept her free from the clutches of Wonder Woman and her allies.

"Miss Cale," Dr Tyme said respectfully after knocking on her door, "the device is ready."

"Thank you," Veronica said as she left her office in their new headquarters.

Built on top of a mountain on the island it provided them with unobstructed views of any approaches and the perfect point to strike at any attackers. Technology within their grasp included the best Earth, alien and future devices, as well as pieces taken from dread Apokolips itself.

In a nearby lab Doctor Simon Ecks worked feverishly on his device, his newly shaved head gleaming. Manic and mildly insane from his stay in Arkham Asylum he bore close watching, but his technology could be very useful to them. He turned as they entered and smiled, "Are you ready to be transformed?!"

Veronica sighed, "Dr, remember what we talked about? This is meant to project a simulation of me only."

"But you could be Lady Double-X!" Simon smiled, eyes shining.

"No, Doctor," Veronica said firmly, and he deflated with a sigh.

"All right," Simon conceded, "I'll set it to just project a copy of you." Under his breath he muttered, "Spoiling all my fun..."

Veronica decided to ignore that, at least for the time being. She walked by Funky Flashman, trading supervillain gear again with Gizmo 2.0 and the other villainous recruits they sheltered in exchange for their capabilities. The place could be a zoo at times, but she thought it was a fair trade for the technology they brought.

Ira Quimby smiled, the tanned eccentric waiting by the controls. "We've preset the requested coordinates after you transform," he told her.

"All right," Veronica stepped in the clear glass tube, "let's do this."

Energy crackled around her and Veronica shuddered as power washed over her and through her, finally ending as a exact copy stepped free of her. The energy Veronica looked herself over critically then smiled, "Good, it worked as expected."

"Beginning transit," I.Q. hit the switches.

"Where are you going?" Simon asked her eagerly, "Off to exact some hideous revenge?"

Veronica gave him a pitying look. "No," she said as she was starting to fade out, "I have to go apologize."

In a quiet part of the United States a modest home sat silent in the twilight. The woman within could buy a mansion if she wanted to, but she failed to see the point. Wealth and power had never been her goals, merely science and research, and the dwelling she lived in suited her fine. It was the second home she owned, of course, her first having been abandoned shortly after the end of her connection with Veronica Cale.

Veronica looked at the house and shook her head, her dress flowing around her legs. 'Ah, Leslie, you could do so much better,' she thought, striding up to the door then passing right through it.

The energy form of Veronica walked through the mostly unfurnished house's lower levels then upstairs, eventually finding signs of life. A office was cluttered with papers and cybernetic implants, most taken from the villain Silver Swan. The Swan had been created by a obsessed man, but built in part with technology Cale provided... something she regretted in retrospect. Leaving the office and her shame Veronica continued to the last room to check before pausing to summon up her nerve.

'This is harder than I thought it would be,' Veronica could feel the tears in her eyes, even though she had no physical body to shed them.

Leslie Anderson lay collapsed on the bed, her squarish glasses askew and her dark brown hair a mess. She looked tired and worn down, but also filled with a kind of purpose that made her shimmer with vitality. All in all she looked beautiful to Veronica, and her heart ached with so many regrets.

Kneeling down beside the bed Veronica willed her energy state to solidness as she reached out to shake her, "Leslie? Leslie..."

"Hmmm, Ronnie?" Leslie murmured, her use of the nickname making Veronica wince slightly. The woman stirred, raising her head as she blinked owlishly, then with a cry scrambled away on the bed.

"Wha...?" Veronica started.

"Ghost!" Leslie yelped.

"Oh hell," Veronica blinked in realization. She was there as a semi-transparent energy phantom, it was no wonder Leslie thought she was a ghost. "I'm alive," she quickly said, "I'm just not here exactly..."

Leslie's mind raced, and Veronica could almost see her making the connections. "Some kind of advanced hologram and forcefield system," she realized before adding bitterly, "did you trade Cale-Anderson tech for that, too?"

"No," Veronica said, silently wondering how she was going to do this. All her cleverly planned speeches had deserted her now that she was here with Leslie, and her mind was eerily blank. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Huh?" Leslie blinked.

Veronica remembered the scene in her office at their company, when Leslie confronted her about their technology in the Silver Swan. She had coldly cut down her closest, most dear friend, telling her that all the evidence would point to Leslie as the creator of the improvements in Silver Swan. In the end, she actually threatened Leslie, ordering her to get out before she forgot they were once friends.

Veronica took a deep breath, and settled for the truth. "There never was a paper trail leading to you, Leslie," she said awkwardly, "I wouldn't do that to you."

Leslie looked at her in shock, "Then why...?"

"I get... obsessive working on a project," Veronica said quietly, "I lose perspective, become driven in completing it. After sending Psycho and Silver Swan after Wonder Woman I was starting to see how far my war with her was going to go, how dangerous it was going to be... and I had to get you out of it, away from me."

"Ronnie...?" Leslie said quietly.

"So I lied," Veronica said flatly, "I made up the worst that I could come up with, to drive you as far away as I could."

"And... what about the self destruct implant I found in Silver Swan after her attack on Wonder Woman?" Leslie challenged.

"I won't lie," Veronica said quietly, "that was me."

"Why?!" Leslie demanded.

"I examined her," Veronica said quietly, "I had a pretty good idea how badly damaged she was, and I didn't think there was any chance she could be restored to normalcy." A sad smile tugged her lips, "Obviously, I should have called you in on the consult."

Leslie couldn't help but smile back, but her eyes swam with confusion. "I...," Leslie sighed, "I still have a hard time trying to reconcile the Ronnie I knew with what I've found out about what you've done."

Veronica sighed softly, "I never wanted you to see that side of me." She reached out to caress Leslie's cheek with a insubstantial hand, "I knew it would change things between us."

"Ronnie?" Leslie looked at her questioningly.

Veronica took a breath, "I loved you, Leslie. Hurting you... it nearly killed me."

Leslie sighed softly, "Oh, Ronnie... I wish you had said something."

Veronica gave a sad smile, "It would have been kind of awkward." Her hand shimmered, wavering and she pulled back as she said, "Looks like my time is up."

"Wait," Leslie looked frustrated, "there's so much we have to say!"

"I'm sorry," Veronica looked frustrated, "there's a limit to how long this technology can work," Her body flickered again as she said in a rush, "Take care of yourself, Leslie..."

Leslie reached out a hand, "Ronnie..."

"Goodbye," Veronica managed to say before the field finally collapsed and her energy body completely dissipated.

Dr. Simon Ecks peered at Veronica as she awoke, blinking as her mind returned to her body. Opening the glass door he offered his hand, "How was the experience, ma'am?"

Veronica ignored the hand, making herself pull herself to her feet, her legs tingling as the blood rushed back. "Very good," she conceded, standing as she brushed herself off.

"Do you want us to set up for another run?" I.Q. offered, smiling, "It'll take a few days to recharge the unit, but..."

Veronica hesitated then said, "Recharge it, but I have no immediate plans to use it." Silently she mused, 'Leslie is better off if I leave her alone.'

Both I.Q. and Simon were silent as Veronica strode away. "Wonder if we should tell her she was mumbling when the device was operating?" Simon wondered.

"She'd kill us," I.Q. noted. He smiled slightly, "Wonder who Leslie is?"

"Best not to speculate," Simon mused. "Drink?"

"Let's go," I.Q. grinned as they headed off to relax.

End

Notes: Veronica Cale in Wonder Woman starts out with a very strong connection to Leslie, and her fury that her friend might have been hurt is a sight to see. Yet, later in the run she seems to lose all connection to Leslie and easily tosses her aside. Having it be a deception by Veronica to protect Leslie seemed the best explanation... All villains mentioned in the fic are DC characters of one type or another. lol


End file.
